


Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day

by EnjoninePride



Category: Groundhog Day - Minchin/Rubin
Genre: Family, Fun, Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day 2018, Happy Groundhog Day, Holiday, Prognostication, celebration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-03
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-03-12 22:15:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13556673
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EnjoninePride/pseuds/EnjoninePride
Summary: A short story that I wrote in celebration of Groundhog Day 2018





	Punxsutawney on Groundhog Day

**Author's Note:**

> Nothing too complex. Just the Ryersons with Phil and Rita celebrating Groundhog Day!

    The unwavering February winter covered the sky  with an icy blackness. The sun had not come out yet. It was too early in the morning for that, but it didn’t stop the chatter of voices and patter of feet on the snowy roads as residents of the small town of Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania made their way to Gobbler’s Knob to witness their king.  
Their king, being a small brown magical groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil.  
Yes, it was February 2nd. Groundhog Day. The day in which Phil would come out of his burrow and if he saw his shadow, there would be six more weeks of winter. If not, there would be an early spring.  
A crowd gathered around the stage at Gobbler’s Knob as they waited for the ceremony to begin.   
Amongst those eager citizens, Ned Ryerson and his four boys were maneuvering through the crowd, trying to find a good spot to see the podium. Little Mary, who was only three, was bundled up in winter coats and slept in her father’s arms.  
“Dad! I can’t see any spots open!” Joey exclaimed.  
“Joey! Boys! Stay together, alright?” Ned stated with concern.  
This seemed to be the largest gathering of people he had ever seen in Punx, and if Ned wasn’t careful, he might lose his boys in the sea of eager viewers.  
“Jeepers! I can’t see the podium! So much for a happy Groundhog Day.” Jack told with disappointment.  
Suddenly, Ned heard two voices calling out his name.  
“Ned! Ned! Over here!” came from the area in front of the podium.  
Ned looked over and smiled. It was Phil and Rita, jumping and waving to get his attention.  
“Jamie!” Ned barked at his sixteen year old.  
Jamie, who was in front of Ned,  turned to face his father.  
“Grab onto Joey and Jack! Jasper, hang onto me! Do you see Uncle Phil and Miss Rita?” Ned asked his oldest.  
“Yeah!” he answered.  
“Good! Now hang onto your brothers and, as fast as you can, head over to them! Okay? Don’t stop whatever you do!”  
Jamie nodded and motitioned Joey and Jack to hang on and the three of them headed towards Phil and Rita.  
Ned looked to his eleven year old son.  
“Ready, Jasper?”  
“Bing!” he responded.  
Ned fixed his daughter in his arms and the three of them trailed behind Jamie, Joey, and Jack.

“Hey! Ned!” Phil exclaimed as the Ryerson family made it to the front.  
“Phil! You made it! I thought you said you weren’t going to come?” Ned questioned.  
“Oh, we wouldn’t miss this for the world!” Rita exclaimed as she leaned in to give Ned a side hug.  
“Jeepers! We are really close! I can almost touch the stage!” Jack commented.  
“Jack Ryerson! Don’t touch the stage!” Ned scolded.  
“Darn!” Jack mumbled.  
“How did you get these spots? You must have gotten up even earlier than us!” Joey said.  
“Not if you have one of these!” Phil pulled out his Channel 5 New Report pass.   
“And me! Don’t forget, Phil! I pulled a few strings to get us here!” Rita explained.   
She turned to Ned. “If anyone asks, you guys are with us. Okay?”  
“Noted and understood! He exclaimed.  
“Look, dad! The sun is rising! The ceremony should be starting soon!” Jasper awed as he watched the bits of orange, pink, and yellow rays peeking out from behind the clouds.  
A little groan came from Ned’s arms as little Mary was starting to wake up.  
“Good morning, boo boo!” he kissed his three year old on her hat covered temple. “ I know it’s really early, but we are here to see Phil! Do you like Phil?”  
Little Mary rubbed her eyes, then placed her head onto the crook of her father’s neck.  
“Aww! Poor tired dear!” Rita awed.  
“She loves to sleep!” Ned exclaimed. “Am I right, boo boo? Right right right right?”   
Little Mary let out a small moan and rubbed her head on Ned’s shoulder, which made him smile.

The sun was starting to come out now, shining Gobbler’s Knob with warmth and light.  
“That’s a lot of people wanting to hear the weather by Punxy Phil!” Jamie commented.  
“Definitely a lot more than last year!” Phil said.  
“What do you think, Mr. Weatherman? Early spring or more winter?” Jamie asked.  
Phil looked at him with surprise. “Mr. Weatherman? What happened to Uncle Phil?”  
Jamie shrugged. “I’m almost seventeen! I’m too old to call someone who I am not related to my uncle!”  
“I’ll tell you what, Jamie Ryerson...if I can even call you that now...If Phil predicts an early spring, you don’t have to call me Uncle Phil. If we have six more weeks of winter, you have to call me uncle Phil but I will buy you whatever you’d like...as long as it is not expensive.” Phil told.  
Jamie smiled. “Fine.”  
“Ladies and gentlemen!” Buster announced through the microphone.  
The crowd went wild, cheering and clapping.  
“How did we miss them getting on stage?” Jasper asked with disappointment.  
“‘Cause you were looking at the sunrise, you goof!” Joey told.  
“Boys…” Ned warned.  
“It is time to open Phil’s log!” Buster announced.  
Cheers continued to fill the Knob.  
The men in suits opened the log and pulled out Punxsutawney Phil, then held him up.  
“Dad! Miss Rita! I think we are going to have six more weeks of winter. What do you think?” Jasper asked.  
“I think six weeks!” Rita told the eleven year old.  
Jasper turned to his dad.  
“What do you think, Mary?” Ned asked.  
“Dunno daddy.” Mary mumbled.  
“I’ll say six weeks also.”  
“Alright! We’ve gotten our prediction!” Buster announced and his partner pulled out a scroll. Buster took it from his partner and unraveled it.  
“Hear Ye, Hear Ye, Hear Ye! Now, this Second Day of February, Two Thousand and Eighteen, the One Hundred and Third Second Annual Trek of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club….Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of All Prognosticators, was awakened at sunrise from his borrow by the cheers of his thousands of faithful followers….”  
The crowd along with the Ryersons and Phil and Rita cheered.  
Buster continued. “In Groundhogese, he directed the President and the Inner Circle to his Prognostication Scroll, which reads:  
Up early this morning  
Far from home  
Are you searching for  
the Phil-osopher's stone?   
Well, even my best friends  
They don’t know.  
Is it an early spring  
Or just more snow   
My faithful followers,  
your hands (and my paws) are getting cold  
So here is my forecast  
Not lead, but solid gold:  
I see my royal Shadow!  
Six more weeks of Winter to go!” *  
Buster put the scroll down and took Phil into his arms. He held up the bottom heavy rodent for all to see.  
“Awww.” the crowd said with disappointment. “Yeah!” their disappointment quickly changed to giddiness and gay.  
“I KNEW IT!” Jasper screamed.  
“Jas, it’s always the same thing! Just different wording!” Jack complained.  
“Come on, Jack! You know that’s not true!” Rita told him.  
“Who knows! Maybe next year we will have an early spring!” Ned exclaimed.  
“Tummy, tummy, tummy!” Mary repeated.  
“Are you hungry, boo boo?” Ned asked. “Are all you guys hungry?”  
“Yeah!” Ned’s boys replied in unison.  
“Shall we start heading over to the diner?” Phil asked.  
“Yes! Let’s go! I don’t want any of us starving on Groundhog Day!” Ned exclaimed.  
The group headed off to the diner, where they ate and chatted about what festivities they were going to check out.  
There was so much to do and so little time to celebrate, but the Ryerson, Phil, and Rita made the most of Punxsutawney’s most cherished holiday.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!
> 
> *http://www.groundhog.org/?id=572


End file.
